Quick words with R. Emmett Tyrrell
By Bernard Chapin
web posted February 23, 2004
In the world of politics few magazines provoke an emotional
response like The American Spectator. I know this personally
from a purchase I made in July of 2000. That was a testy year,
and it must have been particularly so for middle aged clerks at
the Borders on Diversey Street in Chicago. When I handed one
of them a copy of the latest issue, he held it up above the scanner
and glared at me. His eyes squinted as he said, "Aren't these the
guys who tried to bring down Clinton? Why would you read
this?" I answered him ineloquently but in fluent polemicese:
"Sure, eh, that's why everyone should read it."
A wise observation on my part. The American Spectator has
gone through many changes in format and delivery in recent times
but R. Emmett Tyrrell's editorship remains a constant. Mr. Tyrell
has just released a new book entitled, Madame Hillary: The
Dark Road to the White House and he is currently barnstorming
the country to promote it. Here's what Dick Morris had to say
about Tyrrell's work:
"R. Emmett Tyrrell is not just writing history. He is recounting a
history in which he played a crucial role. He is not just predicting
the future, he is writing about events in which he will play a
crucial role. When Hillary wakes up in the middle of the night
screaming, the cause is most likely R. Emmett Tyrrell."
We are grateful that he was able to share some wisdom with us
in the midst of his tour.
BC: The other day I opened my copy of The Weekly Standard
and saw your new book advertised on its first page. Why is
Madame in the title? One can imagine how annoying such a
word must be to Hillary. Second, the implication is, and many
people agree with you, that she desires the presidency. Do you
believe her intentions have been deliberately downplayed by the
media?
RET: The term Madame does not refer to a bordello but to
Chairman Mao's wife who was known in China as the "white-
boned demon," famed for changing shape and never so
dangerous as when wearing the guise of innocence. In her
contemporary guise of US senator she is particularly
dangerous--a point I emphasize in the book and with details or
the corpus delicti. Her intentions are to acquire more power
every day in every way. She is now the most powerful
Democratic senator since LBJ and look where he ended up--I
mean before he assumed room temperature.
BC: There are so many books out on Hillary Clinton. What
uniquely does yours offer potential readers? How much of it
concerns her time in the Senate?
RET: Madame Hillary takes readers from Hillary's radical youth
through her years at Bill's side to her present condition as Bill's
weapon to reenter the White House. I also take her beyond the
Senate to an imagined presidential administration--her first.
BC: As one who has been rather dedicated to following the
Clintons, is it a certainty that she will run in 2008? Do you think
she has a chance of being successful?
RET: I think she has a very good shot at the presidency. Her
target will be the independent vote. She is hoping they forget her
radical past and cotton to her claims to speak for a glamorous
political tradition, the tradition of 1960s protest.
BC: Is it possible that John Kerry, assuming he wins the
nomination, would contemplate offering Hillary a spot on the
ticket at the Democratic Party convention? Might she accept?
RET: Kerry is going to have to offer her the number 2 spot. He
will need her money and popularity. She will accept knowing that
will enhance her power.
BC: Underneath the expensive hair styles and feminine dresses,
is Hillary Rodham Clinton still the radical she once was? The late
Barbara Olson maintained in Hell to Pay that "[t]o understand
Hillary and much of her subsequent life, it is important to learn
the philosophy and tactics of the mentor who has had more
apparent influence on her than any other." [p.47] This mentor
was the infamous Saul Alinsky who wrote Rules for Radicals.
How much of her ideology remains locked in the Manichean
outlook of the sixties' counter-cultural left?
RET: An important point I make in the book is that she has
repositioned herself as a moderate. You can decide for yourself
from what I say in the book as to whether she is a moderate.
Alinsky urged his acolytes to adapt to the times. She has
surprised me by her adaptability. As to her presidency I believe
my chapter makes it clear she is no friend of freedom.
BC: Had things panned out a little differently over the course of
the last couple of months, and Kerry merely began beating Dean
by only minute margins, do you think Hillary would have
considered entering the 2004 race for the presidency?
RET: I make the point in my book that she and Bill have been
manipulating this race in various ways. Now that they see the
President weakened I do believe she wishes she had gone for it
on 2004, and who knows if Kerry wobbles she still might.
BC: Was her autobiography from last year factually valid? Does
it offer any historical truths about the former first lady that we did
not know previously?
RET: Hillary's book contains many reckless lies. My treatment of
it in an extended chapter suggests that she has not completely
cleaned up her act. Bill Clinton sees Hillary as his ticket to
another political career
BC: Are you surprised that Bill and Hillary are still married? Is it
a Marriage In Name Only? A mutual admiration pact?
RET: I have quite a bit to say about their marriage in my book. I
would call it a marriage now of convenience, but in the past it
was something else. Bill Clinton sees Hillary as his ticket to
another political career
Thank you once again, Mr. Tyrrell.
Bernard Chapin is a writer living in Chicago. He can be reached
at bchapafl@hotmail.com.
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